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The last three photos are from last year. I didn't have a chance to take any photos last night since we had some last minute decorating to do. Then there were just too many people around. It should be crazy tonight but I will see what I can do. You have to see it at night to get the real effect.
Another post today with lots of stuff. The first order of business is that the new stamps are up on the website! They have actually been there since Wednesday (as many of you found out) but I was still tied up with my daughter being sick and trying to finish up Halloween decorating. She is back at school today and fever free. Thanks to everyone that wished well! Here is the page with all the new stamps:
There are 2 specials being offered for the next two weeks. You will find them listed on the website underneath the stamp collections.
I am having an overstock sale as part of a virtual convention at RubberStampChat this weekend. You can find the sale information here:
Overstock Sale - RubberStampChat Virtual Convention
I promised another giveaway the other day. Giveaway #5 is for a few of the new "Thanksgiving Feast" stamps. The winner will receive Myles, Priscilla, Squanto and Aime with the Thanksgiving Table. Since tomorrow is Halloween tell me what you are dressing up as (or your kiddies) or a great costume idea. Once again a random winner will be chosen. You have till tomorrow night October 31st at midnight to leave a comment.
Well we are off to the doctor's. She still has a fever. I guess they are being a little cautious these days with all the sickies going around. I hope to finish everything up when I get back.
I will leave you with my favorite stamp out of whole collection Michelle did for me.
This should be a fun stamp to work with. It seems to be a fav of the design team too. I am guessing there will be lots of samples with this one.
I'll be back with a giveaway as soon as I get a free moment.
I am almost done getting all the new images up on the website. It was slow going today because someone is home from school with a stomach virus and fever. :(
I figured I would share a few more images because I have a funny feeling I will not have a chance to finish till tomorrow.
So, I reckon that Myles has a little hunting to do.
Little does he know...
She is so excited for their guests to arrive.
They shouldn't be too late.
Aren't they cute! There are a few more images to the collection. They are all individual images so you can create little scenarios to your heart's content. I love coming up with all kinds of stories.
I guess I should do a givewaway with these too. Hmmmm...let me think of something fun.
Stamp Giveaway #3 is this great Spring Noteblock stamp created for Purple Onion Designs by Stephanie Wheeler of The Living Room Floor.
The lucky winner is Nicole. Congratulations! Nicole guessed 8 out of the 10 words on the stamp. Here is Nicole's guess:
I am back to post giveaway #4. The final Noteblock in the Seasons series is Summer! Leave a comment telling me what your favorite season of the year is. I will randomly select a name to win the Summer Noteblock stamp.
Don't forget to scroll down and join in on Giveaway #3. You have until Sunday, October 25th to leave a guess on both of these giveaways.
The weather didn't hold out today. We decided to just wait until tomorrow and try to get all the decorating done. I think we have a few recruits to help haul everything out. I did "attempt" to make the French Dip recipe listed below from Cindi. However, it looks like we are having pot roast for dinner...lol. It is now official that my crockpot cooks WAY faster then the recipes state. I was not a fan of crockpot cooking because any meat I made was always dry. I realized with a chicken recipe that it needed to cook about an hour less then the recipe stated.
I opted to cook the roast on high today which was supposed to take 5-6 hours. Well I went to check it early so I could be on top of it being rare. After 3 1/2 hours I pulled out the meat thermometer to check. I was going for around 120 degrees. It was 180 degrees. Oh well! We are skipping the bread and opting for egg noodles. I'll thicken up the "au jus" to make a gravy. I am not sure if I will try it again in the crockpot unless I try it on low. I have a good recipe that I do in the oven which will take the same amount of time.
Now the thing that kills me is that I cook. So, I have to laugh that I screwed up something as easy as that French Dip recipe. I would of been fine if it didn't cook so fast. Let me redeem myself by sharing these recipes from last night's impromptu dinner party. All of these dishes turned out great!
This first recipe is for Bratwurst which is how I made it the first time. I really enjoyed the flavor of the Bratwurst with the compote. Last night I served the compote with a pork tenderloin instead. I think the flavors of the Bratwurst worked best but it was still good.
Bratwurst with Creamy Apple Compote
Preheat broiler.
Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then cook onion and apples with bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring once or twice, until golden brown, about 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, split bratwurst lengthwise (not all the way through) and open up. Lightly brush cut sides of bratwurst with additional oil and transfer to a shallow baking pan (split sides up).
Add wine to apple mixture, then simmer, covered, until apples are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove lid and briskly simmer until liquid is reduced by one third, about 2 minutes.
While apples simmer, broil bratwurst 4 to 5 inches from heat until browned, about 6 minutes.
Stir cream, vinegar, and brown sugar into apple mixture and briskly simmer
until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Discard bay leaf and serve apple
compote over bratwurst.
Serves 4
I haven't made Acorn squash in years. I felt like doing a real fall themed meal last night. I think all the posts the other day really got me in the mood. There wasn't much to the following recipe but I liked how it turned out. I wasn't sure at first since a lot of the sugar didn't melt and caramelize. However, it wasn't an issue at all.
Brown Sugar Baked Sweet Potatoes & Acorn Squash
Preheat oven to 375°F with racks in upper and lower thirds.
Toss sweet potatoes and squash with butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Divide between two 17-by 11-inch 4-sided sheet pans. Bake, switching position of pans halfway through, 25 minutes.
Stir together brown sugar and nutmeg. Turn vegetable slices and sprinkle
evenly with sugar mixture. Bake until golden and tender, 35 to 40 minutes more.
Serves 8
Christa shared this brussel sprout recipe with me several years ago. It is very easy and tasty. My hubby wouldn't eat brussel sprouts prior to trying these.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut away bottom stem of brussel sprouts. Slice in half lengthwise and toss in a bowl with a little vegetable or canola oil. Spread out on parchment lined cookie sheet cut side down. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and a little fresh ground pepper. Cook until brussel sprouts are starting to lightly brown. Maybe about 20 minutes.
I cheated last night and bought a box of spaetzle from the store. I have made it fresh before. I find the boxed stuff is easy and tastes just fine.
I am not sure where I got the apple crisp recipe from. I am guessing my Mom's recipe box. I have had it forever. It is a very simple recipe.
Apple Crisp
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly grease 9x13 pan. Mix together flour, butter and brown sugar until it resembles coarse meal. Place sliced apples in bottom of pan. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cover with crumb topping. Bake for 30 minutes.
Now if I left you hungry check out this fun candy package from Jennifer.
Jennifer used the Trick or Treat sentiment on the tag and the solid Skull on the transparency of the box. You can check out Jennifer's blog for more details on how she made the box.
Another day of fun comments from everyone. It is nice seeing everyone popping by and playing along. The winner of our next stamp is Anna! Here is Anna's guess:
I love these noteblock stamps, too. I'm going to guess these are a set or a theme and the next one is winter?
Anna's name was randomly chosen and she was in fact the first person to guess it correctly. Congratulations Anna! Here is your prize and the next new stamp preview for everyone.
Now obviously there are two more Noteblocks to this series. So for the #3 stamp giveaway it is your turn to guess the words listed on the Spring stamp. The person who has the most correct guesses will win the stamp. I will randomly choose a name if there is a tie. The Spring Noteblock has 10 words listed. Please post your answers (numbered 1-10) in the comments section of today's post by tomorrow night Sunday, October 25th.
Now it is time to get outside and help hubby with the Halloween decorations. We are in crunch time to get the house done. It usually takes a full weekend and I am not sure if the weather is going to cooperate. So, I will leave you with another cute Halloween card from Courtney. I love the black embossed Halloween Noteblock that she used for a tombstone. So cute!
Have a great weekend! Maybe I will be back with another quick givewaway. :)
I am pretty sure this will be the first of several hodgepodge posts from me over the next few days. I usually like to keep the posts simple with one thought in mind. There is just too many different things going on for that to happen right now.
Let's get to the first order of business which is Stamp Giveaway #1. I had such a good time reading all the posts. I think there might even be a recipe or two that I will have to try myself. One of those recipes actually comes from the stamp giveaway winner! Cindi posted this recipe that I will have to give a try (thanks Cindi!). I am thinking this weekend. Here is Cindi's post:
When the weather gets cooler (hey, cool is about all we can ask for in FL and this week we've had a nice cool front!), I like to make my MIL's oven stew. It came from a Mother's Against Drunk Driving cookbook.
This French Dip recipe serves 8 to 10. It was a hit with my daughter's confirmation class when it was my turn to bring dinner.
crockpot French Dip Roast
Ingredients
* 3 lb Beef Bottom Round or Rump Roast
* 1 onion, sliced
* 1 packet of Au Jus Gravy Mix (3/4 ounce)
* 1 cup white wine or water
* 1/8 tsp seasoned pepper
Directions
1. Place onion slices in bottom of crockpot, place roast, trimmed of excess fat, on top of onions. Mix together remaining ingredients, and pour over roast.
2. Cook on low 10-12 hours (or high 5-6 hours). Serve sliced thinly with onions on hard rolls with melted mozzarella or provolone cheese. Serve au jus on the side for dipping.
Congratulations Cindi! Here is the new stamp that Cindi will be receiving. I hope everyone likes the peek. :)
Can you guess what some of the other stamps are? I hope so because that is Stamp Giveaway #2! Post your guess in the comment section of today's blog post. You have until tomorrow night Friday October 23rd to leave a comment. Once again I will pick a winner at random from those that guess correctly.
Finally, You have to see this fabulous card by Courtney that is in the October issue of Scrapbook Trends.
I guess I am not the only one who gets in the cooking mood once Fall is in the air. Ronda created a layout capturing just that. Take a look:
What do you look forward to cooking this time of year?
Post an all time favorite recipe or something new you are looking to try. I will randomly pick someone to win one of the NEW stamps that I will be posting in the next few days. You have till midnight Wednesday October 21st to leave your comment.
There will be additional stamp giveaways over the next week or so. Please check back daily to participate. I'll also be previewing the new stamps here. :)
Here is a little more Halloween inspirtation. When Jennifer sent over this card I automatically thought of "The Raven" by Edgar Allan Poe.
Doesn't the card have an eery feel to it? Jennifer used the bird from the Halloween Flight set, along with the Trick or Treat border tape and the Damask stamp to create the backgound. Lots of stamping goodness!
very cute card and great use of the note block for the tombstone :) and congrats Anna - love that new winter block, enjoy!
hmmm, my guesses on the spring noteblock (this was harder than I thought!) - this was a good challenge and I can think of lots of spring words (new animal babies, Easter, flowers and more), so I cant see what the block looks like! :)
1) spring
2) march
3) april
4) may
5) june
6) flowers
7) robins
8) showers (well where I live we see rain all year, but there is that saying april showers, bring may flowers)
9)daffodils
10)baby animals (lots of new babies in nature in the spring)
Not only did Nicole have the most correct answers, she was the first person to guess!
The winner of Stamp Giveaway #4 is Kym. Congratulations Kym! Kym's name was randomly chosen to win the Summer Noteblock stamp. Once again another good winner. Kym's favorite season is Summer! Check out her post:
"I live by the beach so there is only one answer for me. I just love the summer!"
There is one final Noteblock in the new release. Many of you guessed the other day. Here is the new Thanksgiving Noteblock:
This will make Stamp Giveaway #5! Leave a comment and let me know what the best part of your Thanksgiving is. You have until midnight tomorrow Tuesday, October 27th to post a comment. I will randomly choose a winner from the comments left.
There are still more new stamps coming. The next round to show off is a collection from Michelle Clement. Here is a tease till tomorrow:
I have to share some more Fall projects before I go. Nathalie created this beautiful layout of her son using the Doodle Foliage Set,Homegrown Hospitality Alphabet, Beaded Deco Circle and the Date Deco Circle.
Isn't it stunning?!